A common feature in word processing application programs (“word processors”) is the template. In a word processor, a template is a pre-designed document that contains formatting and, in some cases, generic text. By using templates, a basic document can be created that others can then use as a starting point for their own documents. For instance, many corporations utilize mandatory templates that users must utilize when filling out various types of reports.
In order to ensure that the look of documents created from a particular template is consistent, a specific layout and formatting may be defined for the template. To facilitate the use of consistent formatting, styles are often defined within templates. A style defines the mode of presentation for some or all of documents created from the template. For instance, a style could be created for a paragraph that defines the alignment, spacing, font, font size, and other formatting attributes for a paragraph. Styles may also be defined for characters, tables, and other data subdivisions contained within electronic documents. Once defined, a style can be easily applied to all or a portion of the electronic document without having to set each of the attributes separately.
Although styles may be easily defined within a template, it has traditionally been very difficult to require users to utilize the defined styles rather than applying formatting directly to the contents of a document. This is primarily due to the ease with which users may apply formatting directly to the contents of an electronic document (“direct formatting”) and the lack of familiarity with styles for many users. In many cases, users simply apply direct formatting to the contents of the electronic document so that the contents look similar to the pre-defined style that should have been utilized. For instance, if a template has a style that should be used for headings within a document, a user may directly apply bold formatting and increase the font size of a particular selection so that the section looks similar to the style.
Allowing a user to apply direct formatting to a document rather than using a pre-defined style can cause several problems. First, if a user is allowed to apply direct formatting to a document created from a template, the template author cannot be guaranteed that the document will maintain the desired look defined by the template. Secondly, documents that have direct formatting applied rather than from styles are difficult to update. The style cannot be simply changed with the result that any document utilizing the style will be updated correctly. Rather, each document that had direct formatting applied would need to be changed manually to modify the formatting that had been directly applied. If formatting is applied exclusively using styles, each document created from a template can be updated by simply modifying the style within the template.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.